Why Now Could Be The Right Time To Review Your Multichannel Online Customer Service
65% of people say that social media is a better way to communicate with companies than call centres
. Source: CallCentreHelper.comCompanies that get their multi-knowledge strategy right have seen revenue increase by 8% and customer retention by 5%. Source: Aberdeen Group, 2011
Customer self-service solutions that engage your audience via the web, mobile phones and social networks can reduce e-mail and voice traffic to your call-centre by at least 25%. Source: Synthetix client data
These are percentages that make you sit up and take notice and therefore it is no wonder that many companies are taking the decision to review any strategies they have in place to manage, or even set up, their multi-channel online customer service. What these companies need to do though, is to look at their multi-channel knowledge strategy in the context of what customers want and the challenge is to ensure that they can maintain consistent, high levels of satisfaction and engagement through all the available channels. Self-service software was once perceived as a cynical way of cutting person to person contact, and rationalising staff levels, whereas today customer self-service is a vital tool for any forward-looking organisation that wants to adapt to the evolving way its customers want to communicate, whether thats through the web, social networks or mobile devices.
If you are thinking of undergoing this review process I would urge you to ask yourself some key questions as part of it:
1. Can it help you increase profitability?
You need to reduce complaints, increase speed of response, improve first call resolution as well as needing to meet other KPIs. Modern self-service solutions are designed to meet all these objectives. With an effective self-service solution in place, you can not only reduce the number of incoming hygiene calls and e-mails, but you can also redeploy employees on to proactive and revenue-generating outbound campaigns.
2. Can you help create a more flexible organisation?
Having the capacity in place to cope with spikes in demand is one thing but could you also demonstrate that you have a role to play in building an organisation that is able to capitalise on new market opportunities as they arise? Freeing up your team from unnecessary inbound workflows can also be a key contributor towards achieving the kind of business agility that your Board craves.
3. Can you improve efficiency?
All departments within organisations are under increasing pressure to cut expenditure. The contact centre is certainly no exception. An effective self-service strategy anticipates and directly answers your customers queries before they are forced to escalate to channels such as e-mail and voice, leading to reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction. For calls that do escalate to the contact centre an integrated knowledge-base can provide instant, reliable answers to agents thereby reducing your cost per call, your average call-handling times and abandonment rates.
4. Can you boost corporate reputation?
Increasingly consumers are using social media networks. They use them as a place to air their concerns in a very public way. By deploying a self-service solution that includes social media functionality, you can help to develop your organisations reputation for innovation, while ensuring that it stays out of the press for the wrong reasons.
5. Can you show that you are maximising existing investments, and delivering a long term strategy?
No organisation likes to feel that its existing investments in IT systems are going to be blown away. Where possible, new systems should be seen to be integrating with whats already in place, making it stronger. The best self-service solutions can help you by putting a new knowledge hub at the centre of your customer service strategy and systems, ensuring consistency across all forms of contact. Customer self-service should be built on a knowledge base that helps you to reach every customer touchpoint consistently and cost-effectively.
6.How easily with a self-service solution integrate with your existing IT?
Projects often flounder because stakeholders are put off from involving the IT department due to the perceived pain of integration. Finding a solution with a track record of smooth and efficient records of integration will be important to your success.
7. Have you considered pricing models?
Some self-service providers work on a pay per visit basis which in the event of a big spike in demand can leave you with a high bill you hadnt anticipated. Evaluate pay-per-visit versus flat-rate fees, and which model carries the least risk for you.
8. Will any new technology require much user training?
If it does, consider whether it is intuitive enough for your needs.
9. Are you able to cope with serious spikes in demand without overburdening staff or recruiting new staff?
Increase in calls caused by external events, product recalls, environmental issue and strikes are not uncommon. It makes sense to document and detail what happens when systems fall below expected performance levels.
10. What will be the impact on corporate reputation?
Self-service, particularly through social media, can solve micro-issues on a case-by-case basis, ensuring they dont blow into bigger PR issues. Additionally it can help a company to portray itself as an innovative, forward-looking organisation. You may conclude at the end of the review that perhaps you can build your own solution. The best self-service solutions put a new knowledge hub in the heart of your customer service operation and you might just be able to do this part. However you would also need to take into account how much it would cost to develop and manage it yourself.
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